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Unit of study_
PUBH5125: Environmental and Social Epidemiology
2025 unit information
Our environment comprises not only the physical environment (air, water, soil, the built environment), but also the social and economic environment. These environments play a critical role in determining our health and wellbeing, while the associated health impacts are compounded by advancing climate change and growing inequality. This unit provides students with a conceptual and practical understanding of how epidemiologists can study how these environments effect the health of populations and how these effects are distributed using real-world examples. Students will be introduced to analysis and visualisation of various socioeconomic, environmental and health data including spatial data involving Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping using both R Statistical Software and QGIS. While the unit has a strong quantitative focus it does not require high level technical skills from the outset. Throughout the semester students will learn from various experts in the field and attend live (online) tutorials to develop practical skills as well as engage in critical discussions on key concepts and interpretation of evidence.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Medicine and Health
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Public Health |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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PUBH5010 or CEPI5100 or BSTA5011 |
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Corequisites:
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PUBH5010 or CEPI5100 or BSTA5011 |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Describe and apply the principles of environmental and social epidemiology to the assessment of health risks from environmental hazards and societal characteristics
- LO2. Describe and apply epidemiological study designs relevant to environmental hazards and societal characteristic including those not frequently used in other epidemiological fields (eg: clinical epidemiology)
- LO3. Apply the principles of environmental and social exposure assessment as they relate to individuals and populations incorporating spatial and / or temporal variation in exposure to environmental hazards and societal characteristic.
- LO4. Identify sources of measurement error in exposure, health outcomes and confounders, describe methods for minimising bias and appreciate the implications of these issues for environmental and social epidemiological analyses and interpretation of study results.
- LO5. Identify and critically appraise environmental and social epidemiological literature on potential environmental hazards to health
- LO6. Appreciate the importance of different subdisciplines in environmental and social epidemiology (eg: exposure science, epidemiology, toxicology, sociology, and risk assessment) and potential career opportunities
Unit availability
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